One Voice
by Nikhya
Summary: A gundam girl's history. She's 6 years old and her mother's finally been 'found out'.. Her father had been a traitor to OZ and his wife had been let off because they found no evidence that she too was a traitor. Her little girl stands by helplessly... Who
1. One voice

  
I don't own gundam...nope nope I don't. ^_^ But I certainly do enjoy watchin and writin about it, so thanks and credit go out to the creators. This was inspired by the song 'one voice' by Billy Gilman. I don't normally listen to country music, but I'll make an expception for this little one! This boy can belt out some notes! ^_~ Very beautiful voice for a young one. :O) Well, I must warn you, this is angsty... blood, swearing, and a few offensive things such as spatting and slimeball attitudes show up. Hey, what can I say..some oz soldiers are there for nobility, others for the fun of killing I guess. Anyway, this story is about a certain girl of the gundam show...but it doesn't say until later in the story WHO she is...so have fun guessing until you see her name.   
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*One Voice*  
  
  
  
  
  
The little raven haired girl's face was soiled with dirt. A bright, innocent smile was plastered on her face as she dug through the mud. She didn't look up despite hearing mother's footsteps. "Sweetie..."  
  
Hearing the saddened tone of her mother's voice, she looked up curiously, dirt pail and shovel in hand...her smile quickly fading as she watched the tears fall from her mother's deep blue eyes.  
  
"Momma?"   
  
The young woman knelt in the mud next to the delicate little girl and placed a few strands of her own hair behind her ear. "Sweetie..." She choked out through restrained sobs. Her hand wandered to her little girl's face, caressing her cheeks and affectionately wiping the dirt spots from her face.  
  
The dirty little girl's eyes darted from her mother to the two men standing stiffly behind her.  
  
They were wearing ugly green uniforms, the girl noticed, and their faces weren't to pleasant either. She immediately decided she didn't like them.   
  
The young girl's eyes filled with tears as she gazed back at her mother. No child likes to see their mother cry...it always means something is terribly wrong...  
  
"Sweetie, Mommy has to go away for a while. Remember when Daddy had to go away?" The young woman's eyes quickly shifted from a figure behind the little girl, back to her. Fortunately, the little girl was too engrossed in her mother's tears and voice to notice her nervous eyes.  
  
The little girl's bottom lip started to quiver. What was coming up next, she knew exactly.  
She nodded anyway, despite her panic. She had to make her mother happy...had to be brave for her courageous mommy.  
  
"Well, Mommy has to go away like Daddy did..." Her mother had now halfway composed herself, knowing that if she didn't, it would only be harder for her little girl to understand.  
  
But what she didn't know, was that the little girl knew all too well what was going to happen...She knew exactly what was happening, despite her young age.  
  
"Mommy..." the little girl's voice was strangled, she was obviously trying not to cry out aloud...   
  
"Sweetie, please...don't cry. Mommy will come back really soon, okay?"   
  
The little girl's attention went back to the two men.  
The two men looked fed up...Their faces twisted in anger as they finally started toward her mother.  
  
The older man began to speak. "That's enough, lady. We shouldn't have even given you this much time. Traitors like you deserve less than this...Lets get this over with, now." They were nearing her just as the young woman enfolded her child in a loving embrace.  
  
"Sweetie...live on for your father and I. We will meet again one day, my love. Don't give up hope." Her voice was becoming more asphyxiated with every word. Tears were streaming down her face even though she had been telling them to stay back.   
  
The young girl's eyes became wide with shock and panic as she felt her mother being torn away from her own arms. They were taking her mommy! She couldn't just let them take her!! It had happened with her daddy already and he hadn't come back. She wasn't going to let it happen again.  
  
She pulled herself to her feet and started running after the two men who were harshly pulling her mother toward a large truck. "Stop it! Stop huw-ting my mommy!!"  
  
She'd only taken a few steps before she felt a force holding her back. Glancing behind her quickly, she realized another soldier was behind her, holding her dirty dress tightly in his fist.  
  
"LET ME GO you bad man!!" She turned back in the direction of her mother, pulling herself forward with all her might...She was trying.. So hard... Trying so hard for her mommy...  
  
"Hilde!!! Don't fight the man! You'll be alright, mommy promises!" She turned to look at the soldiers pulling her harshly along and angrily cried out. "Don't you dare hurt her you bastards...Don't you HURT HER!!!" She struggled and spat on their faces . "BASTARDS! DO YOU HEAR ME?! DON'T HURT HER!!! DON'T YOU HURT MY HILDE!!!"   
  
The soldiers kept pulling her toward the truck, ignoring her spitting and yelling.  
  
Of course, the little girl had lost the cruel game of tug-o-war as she listened to her mother's urgent pleas...Soon, a harsh grip was carrying her to large, greasy looking truck. She noticed it was very similar to the other truck that they'd taken her sobbing mother to.  
  
The young woman turned back to her daughter as she saw her being carried off. "HILDE!" she shrieked in between sobs. In one last cry of hope, she went against her own teachings. Went against everything she'd ever believed in.. She had taught her daughter to never bow down to those who opposed her own beliefs. She'd taught her daughter to always stand strong and she'd been amazed that her little girl had listened and obeyed so willfully as such a young age. But she had to make sure that this cry of hope got through to her daughter, so maybe she could live...have a life. As she screamed it, her heart broke and her eyes became lifeless and cold. "HILDE! Do whatever they say sweetie!! Whatever they say, do you hear me?! Hilde!!! Do it for mommy!! I love you!! Mommy loves you sweetie!!!!" And with those last words, she stopped struggling.  
  
Hilde watched helplessly as they pulled her mother behind the truck. She couldn't see her anymore...the young woman was too far behind the truck, and the man carrying her was getting farther away from her mommy's truck and even closer to the one she'd soon be in...He was going faster. Why? Why was he taking her away from her mommy? And so quickly...what was happening?  
  
And had she just heard her mother tell her to do whatever these men said?   
  
Had her mother just said...to do it for her? To do it for mommy? Yes...she had said exactly that...  
  
"I'll do it for you mommy..." her tears stopped flowing as the shot rang out...  
  
She saw the blood...it came just as quickly as the shot had gone, spattering bright red color over the pavement beside the truck, clumsily splashing over the dull green tone of the truck.   
  
The little girl's eyes became vacant as she heard the faint voices begin a heated argument. "Damn it! How much more of a fool could you be!? I told you to do that in her yard, you idiot! Now we have blood all over the truck!"  
  
Hilde heard a loud smack as the man holding her placed her gently in the back of his truck. She was pretty sure someone had just received a harsh reprimand. She looked up at the soldier with no emotion in her eyes. In spite of this, he winked and smiled at her. He was rather handsome...and in fact, he didn't look mean at all.   
  
He began whispering to her. "Little raven.." he nicknamed softly, "...please. Sit down with the other children and I'll make sure you all are taken care of. Please trust me. Okay, little one?"   
  
"Throw her traitorous body into the truck you imbecile! We still have a lot of traitors to collect. You've already earned enough demerits. One right now in fact...being responsible for washing the truck. TWICE. I suggest you hop to it unless you want more!"   
The solder being reprimanded quickly picked up the lifeless body and threw it crudely into the back of the truck...  
  
This is disgusting, the handsome soldier thought to himself.  
Those soldiers were talking as casually as if someone had ruined their new shirt by spilling something on it! They'd just taken a human life and were talking as if she were just another piece of trash... something to be rid of and quickly forgotten.  
  
The man who'd been carrying Hilde, spit on the pavement as he closed her into the back of the truck signaling his hatred for these other men. "Damned Oz soldiers... They want harmony for everyone just as much as I want a gunshot up my ass." He climbed into the cab of the truck and started up the car. He waited when he spotted a soldier walking up in his rearview mirror. A tired sigh escaped his lips as he rolled down the window.  
  
"Go on ahead in front of us. We've still got a whole bunch of traitor scum to deal with. None of the others have children, so just go and take the ones you have to the orphanage. Or dump them in the river...either one would be fine!" He laughed coldly.  
  
The handsome soldier gave a fake laugh...  
  
The soldier finally stopped laughing at his own joke and replaced it with a vile smirk. "No...we can't dump them in the river. We need more soldiers. Master Lynn wants more computer geeks and he says we need'em started out young. These little brats will be perfect...they all come from the traitor's homes. All of them should be exceptionally intelligent... Although, if you WERE to dump them off, I wouldn't tell that they hadn't just been in the way of their parent's murders..." He patted the side of the truck and winked, obviously expecting that the driver would choose dumping them off. "Well, better be off. The captain is gonna ream my ass if I don't get back. Move it a long."  
  
The driver didn't have to be told twice. As soon as the Oz soldier was out of the way, he drove off, leaving the murderers far behind. He pulled off his jacket, and flipped off his cap. Spitting on both of them, he threw them into the seat next to his. His thoughts quickly turned from disgust, to the scared children in the back of the truck. "I'll make sure all of you are safe little ones...I promise."   
  
After what seemed to be hours of driving, Hilde finally felt the truck come to a halt. She looked at all the little children around her. Some were older, some were younger, but most were her age. None of them had spoken a word the whole trip...she figured it was because they had all seen the same thing she had. The shot, the blood, the yelling...it all came back to her in a rush.  
  
Before she knew what she was doing, she was doubled over on the floor of the truck, sobbing. Every single one of the little children watched the sobs wrack her body. Those that didn't start crying in that instant, had already cried so much that they just couldn't cry anymore...   
  
The two doors on the back of the truck opened letting dim light come through. It was sunset...they'd been riding for hours, just as Hilde had expected.  
  
"Okay little ones." The handsome soldier said in a kind, yet saddened voice. "Lets go find you all good homes..." He turned his attention to the little raven haired girl who was sobbing in the middle of all the children. He slowly climbed into the truck and gently cradled her in his arms. "And you, my little raven... you will come with me to meet Father and Sister... They'll help you get back on your feet little one..."   
  
The children piled out of the truck and marveled at the small town around them. The soldier climbed out of the truck with Hilde in his arms. "Little ones, there are kind people here in this town who will take you in and care for you. I can't stay with you much longer. So be good. Your mommies and daddies would be very proud of you if they could see you now. Please be good for them...and for your future care takers." He knelt down to their level, still holding a softly crying Hilde. "If you do that, no more mean men will ever show up again, okay? You'll be safe here for now, children. Just be good..." A tear slid down his cheek as he rose up and led the small group of children around the town. After visiting each of the planned houses, he walked away...satisfied with the thoughts of the children having a semi-normal life, finally. He looked down at the now sleeping little girl he held in his arms.   
  
"Little raven...you certainly have been through a lot. God has blessed me immensely, and somehow I know he'll do a lot for you too, sweet one." He smiled as he walked up to the church. The doors opened expectedly, revealing two bright smiling figures.  
  
"Welcome, friend. I see you have a visitor for us?" The smiling preacher held out his arms, reaching for Hilde slowly.  
  
The young nun that stood beside him beamed sweetly as she gazed upon the sleeping child.  
  
The soldier nodded as he handed the little girl gently to the kind man. "An angel, Father Maxwell...I brought you an angel..."  
  
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Whoa! What's gonna happen next? Well, next, Hilde wakes and makes a new friend...but before she does, disaster strikes...R&R please! ^_^  



	2. Silence Welcome

Well, guys, I finally got the next chapter to my "One Voice" fic up! ^^ See? I told you I'd get it out. I hope you all enjoyed the one voice fic...In this chapter, the prince of mischief meets the innocent princess. ^_~ Enjoy! R&R if you would like!  
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"Silence Welcome"  
  
  
She stared vacantly ahead of her as the young woman sitting next to her bed gently spoon fed her warm soup.   
  
"Dear one, I'm glad you are awake and eating now." The young nun looked worried as she fed the little girl another spoonful of soup. "But sooner or later I will need to know your name."   
  
Hilde finally blinked and moved her gaze toward the nun. She licked her lips, tasting the bland broth the spoon had left. The spoon was coming toward her mouth once again, but this time she pushed it away.  
  
She scowled and gave a hard grunt and a cold 'I-can-feed-myself' look as she refused the spoon once again.. Sobbing had made her throat sore, so she didn't dare try to speak yet.. Thankfully, the broth was slowly taking away the pain.   
  
"Okay then." The nun sat the bowl on Hilde's lap and gently placed the spoon inside it. "You can feed yourself for now." She got up from the chair she'd placed beside Hilde's bed and stood next to her, fiddled with her robes. "And you're awfully dirty, so later on, we must bathe you. Then we'll get you some nice clothes and let you rest for a little while longer."   
  
Hilde could sense that this woman was frustrated by the way she fidgeted, yet she was being so kind and gentle. She didn't understand why someone who was so frustrated could be so nice. Sure, her mother had been nice before, even though she had been mad, but that was her mother. Hilde almost went back into her vacant stare as she thought of her mother, but somehow shook herself from the feelings and turned back to the nun.  
  
She decided she'd tell the woman her name. Hilde owed her that much...she'd been sitting with her all night and almost all day, taking care of her and making sure she was well. Making sure that she was comfortable and now, she promised a bath... It seemed forever since her last bath, and if she had ever really needed one badly, this was one of those times.  
  
Yes, she definitely at least owed her a name.   
  
"My na-name.." her voice cracked, a burning sensation left over from sobbing filled her throat. "My name is...Hilde..." Her eyes wandered down to the woman's feet as she turned and looked at the her. Hilde took a casual sip from the bowl soothing the pain in her throat.   
  
A sweet smile spread across the woman's lips. "My name, Hilde, is Sister Helen. I'm glad to finally know your name, child." Clasping her hands firmly in front of her, she sighed in relief. "Now that you are talking, maybe you'll join us for dinner out in the dining room tonight?"  
  
Hilde looked back up at Sister Helen's smiling face. Kindness... She'd only known three people that had ever shown kindness like this. Her parents and that mysterious soldier...Of course, those are the only people she'd really ever known in her 6 years of life. Living where she had, she hadn't really been out much...  
  
After a moment of silence, Hilde nodded softly and turned her attention to her broth.  
  
Sister Helen nodded in approval. "For right now though, you finish your broth. Then I'll warm up a tub of water for you."  
  
Hilde carefully slid under the bedcovers, still gripping her broth, as Sister Helen slipped out the door and softly shut it behind her.   
  
Why was she here? Where's here exactly?! Hilde looked around, taking in the wooden features of the room as she thought on. Who were those soldiers? Why didn't she...die...along with her mother. She'd give anything to be with her mother and father again...why hadn't they taken her life too? It would've been so much easier that way. For her anyway...  
  
A despondent sigh escaped her lips as she layed back, broth still in hand. There was nothing for her now, absolutely nothing. Her mother was dead, her father was dead. Well, she couldn't be positive that her father was dead, but she was pretty sure that he wasn't off somewhere having the time of his life either. Whatever the case, he wasn't with HER, and it meant all the same to her.  
  
Dead...everything she ever knew and loved. And there was nothing she could do. Death...what a bitter end to life. Bitter and yet, such a fitting end for some...She could definitely think of a few people who it would be fitting for...  
The feeling of helplessness was not one Hilde had welcomed, but it couldn't be stopped. It had slowly taken over her whole body as soon as her mother was being dragged away.   
  
Being so young, Hilde was confused with the helplessness.. with the emptiness that was now slowly hollowing her out. A child was supposed to have a fun-filled childhood, right? One filled with curiosity and learning. Playing...learning from mistakes... And even though she'd been cooped up in that colony with her mother for the longest time, she had been able to learn much. Now, she had nothing and no one...no one to play with and learn from and nothing to call her own. She had no reason to live, but her mother...her mother had told her to live on. What other choice did she really have?   
  
Hilde closed her eyes once again and let sleep take over her body.   
  
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"Hilde."   
  
Small eyes fluttered open as a soft voice called out to her again. A small groan came from Hilde as she turned over to face the voice.  
  
She met a smiling face...   
  
"Hilde, It's time to wake up and take a bath. You must be clean before we have dinner tonight." Sister Helen gently picked up the overturned bowl from Hilde's lap. "You fell asleep before you could eat all of your broth..." She held back a chuckle as Hilde almost jumped out of bed at feeling the sudden dampness.  
  
"And you spilled it on yourself when you rolled over.." Sister Helen, still choking back her chuckle, began sopping up the broth with a cloth as Hilde crawled out of bed. "Now, go get in the tub. It's over there in the corner."   
  
Hilde winced as her bare feet came in contact with the cold wooden floorboards. The weather had been nice when she arrived...but now it seemed to be dropping in temperature. Geez, how long had she been here?   
It would've taken all she had just to get out of bed if not for the nice wet surprise she'd received. Those covers had been the only thing between her and the frigid air of the room and she hadn't planned on coming out from under those covers so quickly.   
She rubbed her arms as she tiptoed carefully across the room toward the small iron tub.  
  
"The water is nice and warm. There's a washcloth, a bar of soap, and a towel right next to the tub...make sure you don't stay in too long or else you'll wrinkle." Sister Helen had stripped the bed and now had a bundle of cloth in her arms obscuring her face from Hilde's view.  
  
Hilde whimpered softly as she turned to face the nun. She wanted to tell Sister Helen to stay with her, to keep her company while she bathed. Her mother had always sat beside Hilde while she played in the tub...had always washed her hair and helped her wash behind her ears. Her face quickly changed from helpless back to her vacant stare.   
  
Sister Helen pressed down the load in her arms to look Hilde in the eyes which were now just as lifeless as before. "What's the matter, child?"  
  
"Nothing..." and with that Hilde turned and began to shed her clothing.  
  
Sister Helen's lips twisted in a worried frown as Hilde stepped into the tub. How frail she seemed now...she'd looked so healthy the day she arrived. It had only been a day and a night since she came. The nun quickly shook off her uneasiness, finally deciding that so much stress really could do that to a person easily in a short amount of time. She was just a little girl for heaven's sake...all that stress could definitely take quick advantage of such a vulnerable little girl.   
  
Hilde's back was to the nun, but she still heard her hurried footsteps as she rushed off for the washroom. She slid down into the tub further when she realized she was alone in the room.   
  
Liquid warmth surrounded her body plunging her into a sleepy haze once again. She shuddered as she reached a hand over the tub to grab the soap and washcloth. The water was plenty warm, but the exposed parts of the tub sure didn't feel toasty yet. Especially not the metal rim... Well, at least the shock kept her awake...  
  
Hilde straightened in the tub when she heard footsteps behind her. She would've called out to the person, whoever they were, but she really didn't care to know. It could've been an Oz soldier and she wouldn't have cared... But shouldn't she care? Her worst fears had now come true...Her mother had been killed, her father might just as well have been, and she had no one else...nothing else. If it HAD been an Oz soldier behind her, why shouldn't she have wanted to be able to pull a gun out of no where and blow his brains away like he was nothing...like his life was nothing. Just like they had done her mother.  
No, no...THAT was too good for those soldiers. Instead, why wouldn't she have wanted to shoot his kneecaps off first, make him bleed. Then shoot him everywhere but his head and his small and hardened heart... Make him suffer. Then throw him out in the cold to bleed...to die a very slow and painful death...  
Why shouldn't she want that?   
Because, she felt almost nothing... No anger, no happiness, no sadness....only despair. Only helplessness. And even that didn't bring any expression from her. None whatsoever.   
  
Plus, she was only six years old...she couldn't hold a gun much less fire it.  
  
Hilde felt a soft hand on her shoulder and almost jumped. "Hilde, would you like me to help you wash your hair?"  
  
Hilde looked up at Sister Helen and blinked a couple times before once again silently turning her back to the nun.   
  
Sister Helen frowned in disappointment. She had meant to get the little girl to talk, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. At least she was getting responses... Silent responses, but responses, nonetheless. At least, Hilde turning her back had SEEMED like a response...like a yes, maybe? Sister Helen decided that it had been.  
She hummed sweetly as she squeezed the contents of the bottle into her hand and lathered up the little girl's hair.   
  
She decided to try and brighten the mood a little by starting a small conversation, still gently scrubbing Hilde's head. "Hilde, you have such pretty hair. Do you think you would let me put it up before we have dinner?"   
  
Hilde sighed. She wasn't being stubborn, she just didn't feel the need to talk. What was the use of words anymore? What was the use of anything? In spite of herself, she took a second to nod in response.  
  
Sister Helen felt her response and smiled. She would get this girl to talk yet.   
Of course she knew that Hilde had good reason to be so silent, but she also was going to make sure this little girl didn't stay that way. Children definitely should not be allowed to be THIS quiet. She rolled her eyes, amused at the pictures forming in her head.   
ONE little child in this church certainly didn't think that silence was something to treasure...  
  
Her eyes shot open in cheerful realization. If SHE couldn't get Hilde back to a playful child-like state...HE certainly could. Of course, he was the most playful little boy she'd ever been lucky enough to take care of. And he'd been through so much, just as Hilde had. This would definitely be a good thing for Hilde. She couldn't stay silent for long, not with such a vibrant young boy running around. Especially not with him teasing her and tugging at her pigtails.   
At least, that's how Sister Helen had planned to fix Hilde's shoulder length hair.  
  
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"PLEASE!! NO!!" the little boy violently squirmed in his bed, fighting the visions within his head. "Please..." he whimpered again, this time more softly.  
  
A cold wind blew the woman's golden hair around her face...she was so beautiful. And in all this snow, she seemed to radiate the warmth that he needed so badly. But, there was something wrong...she was...crying?  
Yes, she was crying. He needed to get to her so badly...needed to have her hold him, surround him with her warmth. Tell him everything was fine...everything was completely fine...and he needed to tell her the same. So she would stop crying...so his mother would stop crying...  
  
But the dream always ended the same and he knew what was coming...but he did as he always did. He reached out his hand to her own outstretched one...and that's when the blood came.   
  
Duo woke with a start, still shaking. "Momma..." he cried still half asleep. He felt a soft hand on his forehead, brushing his bangs back, and heard soft gentle familiar hushes. He collapsed into the figure's arms and sobbed in anguish.   
  
He had let her slip away again...he didn't save her. All he needed to do was reach out and grab her...pull her out of the way. But he didn't...he couldn't reach her in time...  
  
"Shhhh....Duo, you're alright now. Everything is fine...fine, my child." The young woman held the boy until his sobs died down into hushed gasps.  
  
Duo gripped Sister Helen's robes tightly as he finally pulled away from her chest, looking up at her with bloodshot eyes. "f-Fine?" He blinked another stream of tears from his eyes.  
  
Sister Helen nodded as she delicately wiped the little boy's tear streaked face. "Everything is all right, Duo. You were just having a bad dream, that's all."  
  
Duo nodded. "It's the same one I've been having since I came here..." His frown melted away slowly as he peered up at his 'angel'...his friend. Everything seemed perfectly find when she was around. There was no way a bad mood could stay around in her presence.   
  
Sister Helen smiled reassuringly as she swept some of his hair out of his face. "Duo, you'll learn to make the dreams go away. Don't worry, you will learn." She straightened out his collar and beamed at him receiving a beam in return. "And to help you along on that journey, you will have to make sure to make lots of friends and make--"  
  
The now cheerful little boy happily interrupted, jumping off the bed and onto the floor. "--And make lots and lots of mischief!!"  
  
Sister Helen threw her hands into the air in amused exasperation. When would he ever learn? She secretly hoped he never did. His happy and mischievous personality is what got him through so much...losing it would definitely be a death sentence. A smirk crossed her face as Duo ran happily out of the room and expectantly into the dining area....  
  
...But instead of meeting the dining area, he ran unexpectedly, right smack into a pair of deep cornflower blue eyes...   
Duo didn't know what actually made him fall. The shock of seeing those eyes, or the emotionless gaze that they cast upon him..   
Agh, what was that, Duo thought to himself as he recovered from his fall. He shook off the fall and then looked up curiously at the odd creature. The thing seemed almost mean because of it's lack of expression. Like a monster...  
  
Monsters didn't usually have pigtails, did they?  
  
Dark pigtails tied up with red ribbons?   
  
And Duo was almost sure that he'd never seen the monster in his closet wear a flowery dress....  
  
Duo squirmed backwards, his eyes going wide with horror...  
  
No, this was worse than a monster, Duo finally concluded.. Much worse...  
  
This was a ....  
  
...GIRL!!!  
  
Duo scrambled up to his feet, running past the young girl and into the dining room yelling as though he'd seen a ghost. "Father Maxwell!! Father Maxwell!!"  
  
Hilde peered curiously down the hall as the boy's cries became more distant. Who WAS that boy? And why was he yelling so loud...  
  
Sister Helen watched Hilde from behind... Hilde had been leaning down the hall as if to try and get a glimpse as Duo had run away. It was definitely a hopeful sign considering she'd been reluctant to even show interest in her bath earlier.   
  
The nun chuckled softly. The way it had happened had been so awkward that it was amusing. Two wide eyed children stared at each other in silence, and then out of the blue, Duo jumped up and ran down the hall yelling all the way. And Hilde had so curiously leaned in to catch a better look...it was too cute not to laugh at.  
  
Sister Helen only hoped that Duo wouldn't act this way all the time. Certainly having someone to finally tease and poke at would tempt him too greatly to ever stay away from her for too long. Yes, they'd certainly have to confront each other sooner or later.  
  
And Sister Helen just knew that they'd somehow become very important to each other. Whether it was the sooner point in time... or the later...   
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Review if you like! The next chapter will be out soon! What happens in the next chapter?: Hilde warms up a little...And to make Duo feel better about the 'total girl invasion', Sister Helen decides to give him his cooties shot. What will happen when Duo finds he's now 'immune' to cooties? ^_^ Find out next chapter!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Silence Welcome prt 2

Agh, I've had this done for quite awhile and just haven't put it up!! ^^;; I have part 4 done also...and I'm almost finished with 5! So be lookin out for those. :O)  
  
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The need to Reminisce: prt. 3  
  
  
  
"What's a GIRL doing in this place..." Duo clumsily spooned his porridge out of his bowl and into his mouth as he glared at Hilde.  
  
Hilde only stared at her food.  
  
"Oh, Duo. Stop being so silly. There have been plenty of girls here before and still are. Having one more here isn't going to hurt you." Sister Helen got up from the table and collected the empty bowls still left on the table as Duo went on.  
  
"Still, THOSE girls actually respond when you talk to them.." Duo almost fell out of his chair when Sister Helen spun around and swiped his bowl right from under his nose.  
  
"DUO! That will be quite enough!"   
  
Duo couldn't believe the harsh frown that had spread across Sister Helen's face. It hurt him, it really did. She'd never looked at him that way before...   
  
"You've had enough porridge for tonight. I think you need to go to your room for a little while." Sister Helen hurried off with all the bowls and disappeared into the kitchen.  
  
He gave a cold glance to the little girl sitting across from him, but she was still staring into her porridge. A quick glance over to Father Maxwell assured Duo that he was too engrossed in his thoughts to notice anything being done around him...   
  
Sister Helen's reaction...her harsh reprimand...it was all that little girl's fault. Well, Duo would show her. She'd be outta the place in no time...   
  
Duo pushed himself off of the bench and quietly stepped over to Hilde's side of the table.  
  
Hilde was still staring blankly into her bowl as Duo climbed onto the bench and stared into her bowl along with her.   
  
"So...Gonna eat that?"  
  
"............" she kept staring blankly.  
  
"Looks great, can I have a taste?" Duo leaned over and harshly tried to grab her spoon.  
  
"......no....." Hilde finally looked over briefly, pushed his hand from her spoon, and then went back to staring into her food.  
  
"Ah, so the little piggy tails speaks..."  
  
"....Leave me alone please..."  
  
"Piggy tails...Piggy piggy tails!"  
  
".........."  
  
"Piggy tails! Piggy tails! Piiiiggy tails!!" Duo was enjoying himself until he finally caught a good glimpse of her face. Not the slightest twitch...not even a frown. She wasn't irritated in the slightest! This, didn't look like it was going to be easy...   
  
"..." Hilde finally hopped down from the bench and turned to Duo who was still sitting by her bowl.  
  
"My name isn't Piggy tails," She pulled the ribbons calmly from her hair, letting it fall down around her shoulders softly, and then set the red pieces of silk onto the bench next to Duo. "it's Hilde."  
  
Duo sat speechless as the little girl walked out of sight. How could she do that? The nerve...No one just walked away from him like that!  
  
But obviously, he realized, she just had...  
  
Tapping of an impatient foot of one and quiet chuckling from a very amused other shook Duo from his thoughts. He turned back to see a very irritated Sister Helen standing in the doorway of the kitchen with her hands on her hips. Father Maxwell was trying his best to mask his amusement.  
  
He wasn't supposed to hurt Hilde's feelings, Sister Helen thought to herself. Teasing was one thing, but being mean was another. Duo was definitely serious about disliking this little girl, but what confused the nun was that she didn't know exactly why he disliked her. Jealousy maybe? Maybe he was jealous that she, herself, was now giving attention to this new little girl. But, she had always given attention to the other children. That poor girl needed all the comforting she could get.. Every child that came to the orphanage did, and Sister Helen had always given it to them. Duo had never acted so meanly to any of the other children...Why was he doing it now? She stood quietly and thought for a moment.  
Well, there hadn't been any new orphans arrive in quite awhile, and the newer orphans sometimes needed more comfort than the older ones. Maybe Duo realized this and saw it as a potential threat...   
  
"Duo, I thought I told you earlier to go to your room. There's no need for you to be at the dining table any longer." Sister Helen turned to leave and stopped abruptly as she felt a strong tug on her robes.   
  
"S-sister Helen..."   
  
She looked down to meet two shining violet eyes. No one could avoid those eyes, and much less turn away from them. They held such emotion...   
  
"Duo.." Sister Helen's face softened as she knelt down to his level, placing her hands comfortingly on his shoulders. "That little girl needs all the love and care that the other children here get. Being mean like you just did will only make her hurt even more than she already is. You know exactly what it is to be hurt, Duo. I'm asking you to help her just as we help you and the other children here."   
  
She gently brushed the hair from out of his eyes. "Duo, if you're worried that I don't love you anymore, that's not true. I love you and all the other children here all the same, including Hilde. Nothing will ever change that, understand?"   
  
He nodded, rubbing his eyes. "S-so...you're not mad at me?" His eyes looked glossy, as if they had been trying to fight back tears.  
  
Sister Helen smiled. "No, I'm not mad at you Duo. I just don't want that little girl to hurt anymore. Will you promise me you'll be a little nicer to her from now on?"  
  
Duo nodded weakly as she kissed his forehead. "I promise..."  
  
"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, Duo. Please forgive me." Sister Helen lovingly ruffled his hair as she stood to retire to her room. "Goodnight."  
  
"Good night Sister Helen." Duo smiled sadly as she left the room.  
  
When he turned back to the kitchen, his eyes met Father Maxwell's. He lit up as he watched the priest rise from his chair and kneel to the floor, his arms extended.  
  
Father Maxwell chuckled, his arms wrapping against the small boy when he felt the soft impact to his chest. "Keep your promise to Sister Helen, Duo."  
  
Duo smiled and nodded as he met Father Maxwell's smiling eyes.  
  
"Goodnight, my son. Sweet dreams."  
  
"Goodnight Father Maxwell." Duo nuzzled his face into the priest's shoulder. "Sweet dreams for you too, okay?"  
  
Father Maxwell nodded as Duo pulled away and ran off to his room waving his goodnights to the children in the other rooms.   
  
He shook his head lightly as he stood and smiled. "That boy." He clicked off the dining room light and walked off toward his room. "May God help him..."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End! ^^ Well, I'm not sure if this is a chapter itself...or if I'm going to add a little more before I make it a full chapter. Well, now I'm off to work on my other story. (This story is coming to an end sometime soon. So be expecting the 'destroying of the church scene' shortly. ;_;)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Silence Welcome prt 3

Well, here's the next installment to "Silence Welcome". I hope you've enjoyed it so far, because I've really enjoyed writing it. I love history fictions, especially when they involve the way two characters met. ^_^ This was supposed to be the last chapter of the whole story, but it's not. I'm pretty sure the next one will be the last, though. So be looking out for it soon! ^_^ Sorry it took me so long to get this one out. I'll try to be quicker with the next one.   
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Silence Welcome  
  
  
  
"Oh please... Lord..."  
  
"..Help us." Weak and out of breath, she collapsed onto a hard and jagged piece of concrete. Gasping for air didn't help. Every time you breathed, you sucked in nothing but dust and smoke.. It was too much.. just too much.   
Dirt, blood, and sweat mingled on her face. Her hands were severely raw from digging long and hard through what seemed to be endless rubble.   
  
Helplessly, she lay there, knowing there were still many children to be pulled from their deaths...  
  
And she could hear them crying...   
  
The children of the Maxwell church...  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
"Duo, what are you doing?!" Sister Helen looked down, shocked, as the little boy quickly ran right up to her, crawled under her robes, and practically flew out the other side.   
  
"Getting away!!" He laughed, running down the hall behind her.   
She quickly noticed a small red ribbon was tightly clutched between his fingers.   
  
When she finally turned and saw Hilde running down the hall toward her wearing an irritated pout, she chuckled.   
  
"Where'd he go?!" the little girl huffed, one pigtail donned with a bright red ribbon, and the other with only a plain rubber band. "I KNOW he came by here!!"  
  
Sister Helen chuckled and pointed to the hall behind her. "I believe he went down there, my dear."   
  
Hilde smiled and ran past. "Thank you, Sister Helen."   
  
The nun smiled and laughed once more as Hilde ran after Duo yelling that she'd tie him up with his own braid if he didn't give up her ribbon.   
  
Those two were always getting into trouble. Whether it was by themselves, or with each other.   
  
It never failed...  
  
She clutched the cross around her neck tightly to her chest and sighed tiredly as she continued on down the hall to Father Maxwell's office. Her smile slowly faded into a saddened frown, and her grip on the small piece of smooth wood between her fingers loosened as she neared the door.  
  
Being downhearted around this place was usually almost next to impossible, but not now. Little outbursts like the one she'd just encountered over the past day were the only thing that kept her smiling. And even that didn't last very long.  
  
Soldiers were coming soon. OZ soldiers.  
  
She knew it...and so did Father Maxwell.  
  
The young soldier who'd brought Hilde to the church only two years ago had come back yesterday, out of the blue, to warn them. He informed them that OZ was planning on taking out a nearby village that was believed to be hiding spies and traitors.   
Unfortunately, this little town was in the way... So he had immediately urged the church to find refuge as quickly as possible. Then as quickly as he had come, he left.   
  
He'd said he wished he could stay to help them, but that there was no possible way he could. The stop at the little church wasn't supposed to be in his original plan in the first place. He was supposed to be traveling non-stop to the threatened village to attempt a quick evacuation...   
  
Sister Helen remembered his words as she reached for the knob to the office..  
  
~~"I'm sorry Sister Helen, Father Maxwell. I have to go. It's important that this village is saved, yes, and that's why I went against my commander's orders and stopped here, but I'm leaving it up to you now to save it..."~~   
  
Sister Helen had prayed for so long that night...   
  
  
"The Virgin Mary help us..." she said under her breath as she walked into the office and closed the door quietly behind her. Her eyes fell upon a calm looking priest sitting behind a large oak desk.  
  
"Sister Helen.." He began slowly. "have you finished packing the necessary supplies?"   
  
"Yes, Father Maxwell. We've five full jugs of water and plenty of food. I've loaded them into the truck with some help from the older children..." She quietly looked down at the floor as she finished, gently caressing her necklace and holding it close. "They are the only ones that know about the oncoming invasion right now.."  
  
"Good. We don't want the smaller children in a panic..." He took a deep breath and continued. "If everything else is done, then all that's left is to get the children out of here and to safety. We will leave tonight, so tell the rest of the children to gather some items right away. Tell them only two items, Sister...only two. That's all we have room for. If they ask you why, tell them..." he hesitated for a moment before continuing, tears slowly filling his soft ice-blue eyes, "..tell them that we're going on a late-night trip and that they need to be prepared..." He sighed, mustering up the strength to keep the tears from overflowing his eyes. "That is all...tell them nothing else, Sister."   
  
"Yes, Father Maxwell.." She sadly nodded and turned to leave the office.  
  
Just as she did, the door burst open suddenly and slammed hard against the wall. Luckily, the nun had been a few feet out of the door's range..  
  
"Father Maxwell!" A rugged boy, looking to be about the age of 12, stood in the door frame yelling breathlessly. He gripped the door frame tightly with one hand and gestured one way with the other.. "You have to come quick... There are some men outside.. Me'an Bobby were playin' outside with Duo and Hilde..." He struggled to finish. "And we saw'em drive up outta no where..."  
  
Sister Helen's eyes went wide with shock. "What?!"  
  
Another young boy with a small dirty brown cap thrown loosely upon his sandy blonde hair quickly ran up behind the first, gasping for air just as hard as he. His deep brown eyes fell upon Sister Helen as he opened his mouth to speak. "Did you tell'em, Joe?"  
  
"No, Bobby, let me finish, will ya?!" he snapped back fiercely.  
  
Sister Helen's locked gaze with Bobby loosened and slowly transferred frantically over to Joe. "Joe? What is it?"  
  
"Sister Helen... Hilde and Duo are still out there.. They didn't come in with us, and we didn't notice 'till it was too late.. They must still be out there.." he paused for a moment before continuing sadly. "Do you think those men...do you think they could be the bad men you were talking about earlier? They sure look mean enough..."  
  
  
Her eyes lost themselves in a wave confusion, blurring her normally good vision, but she kept running...She hardly noticed the two boys behind her who tried to grab her robes and stop her. Her imagination was running wild with horrible possibilities, and the rush of adrenaline pushed it all further...nothing was going to stop her from getting to her children... Especially not a couple of little tugs on her robes..  
  
What was she going to do? Surely, she couldn't just run out of the church and beat the soldiers down with her bare hands.   
  
Who were those men?  
  
This was too soon. Were they really who she thought they could be?  
  
What would happen to all the children...  
  
  
Joe sneered at Bobby and smacked him upside the head with his flimsy hat. "Idiot. Now she's all worried. The men didn't even have guns... She's gonna embarrass herself."  
  
Bobby flinched, then tried to grab the hat. "Stupid..." He finally grabbed the hat and hit the other boy back. "What would you know?! You ran off before I did! They *DID TOO* have guns. YOU were just too scared to notice."  
  
"Boys! Stop this nonsense now!" Father Maxwell's head was spinning. This couldn't be happening so fast. They had planned it out...had even done it all in advance with much time to spare. The children were supposed to be safe..  
He quickly shook himself out of his hotheaded thoughts. In war, there was no 'ready' or 'prepared'. Everyone had to accept that the unexpected could happen...that you can't be prepared for everything. That you had to deal with it...and quickly.   
  
The two boys shut their mouths immediately after hearing the stern warning and looked curiously over at the priest. Surprisingly to the children, his face wasn't filled with anger...instead, it was filled with calm concern...   
  
They both nodded and spoke softly. "Yes, Father."  
  
"Boys, go gather the rest of the children as *calmly* and as quickly as possible...You know where to go afterwards. The plan is just like before, only it's happening a little earlier.."  
  
He didn't have to tell them a second time before they were off and running down the halls of the church.  
  
The priest himself wasted no time and began running down the remaining halls, quickly scooping up confused children into his arms.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sister Helen quickly opened the front doors to the church and hurried out. Unfortunately she hurried a little too quickly and smacked straight into the two men in front of her.  
  
"Ma'am?" One of the men caught her in his arms and held her there tightly.  
  
"Who.." Sister Helen quickly realized what had happened and pushed herself away from the man's arms. He quickly let go, giving her a chance to step back and take a quick glance. These soldiers had different uniforms...not anything like the one that Hilde's rescuer had on... Her attention abruptly turned from the two men over to the children she'd so desperately been looking for. "Duo? Hilde?!" she called frantically, still wary of the soldiers.  
  
The two children ran from behind the men happily. "Sister Helen!" they called in unison as they stopped and looked up at her.   
  
"Oh thank heaven." She sighed. "You two, get inside. Lunch... is ready." She said, trying to mask the nervousness in her voice as she scooted the two children inside. They both looked back at her, quite confused, for they had already eaten lunch, but ran off to the dining area anyway. Sister Helen closed the doors behind her.  
  
"Hello." She smiled and gasped in mock relief as she turned back to the men. "I'm sorry for the little outburst." The nun held her chest, still trying to catch her breath. "I'm afraid they are real trouble makers and I wasn't sure if I'd let them have a chance at messing with the townspeople's chicken pens again.." Lying straight faced to these men gave Sister Helen a horrid pang to her chest. But she realized that if she was going to get these children out, she'd have to do anything she could. Lying was only a fraction of what she might have to end up doing later on... She only hoped she was doing a good job of it. The children needed more time..  
  
One of the soldiers smiled. "No, ma'am. In fact, they looked quite like they were playing an innocent game of hide-and-go-seek. No mischief in that, I don't think."  
  
"No, I suppose not." Sister Helen smiled sweetly, a twinge of nervousness making her lower lip tremble. The way that man had just smoothly uttered his words sent chills down her spine. What in the world were they here for? Why hadn't they just destroyed the place and left for their next destination? "Well, I thank you for telling me so." She spoke calmly. "I would've had to scold them if I hadn't known."  
  
"You're very welcome, miss." There was an odd moment of silence as both the soldiers looked the nun up and down. If she hadn't known better, she would've said they were getting a little too free with their eyes...which was quite confusing to her. She was wearing very non-revealing robes.   
  
Clearing her throat politely, she finally decided to be a little bolder. "Excuse me. I don't mean to be rude, but there must be a reason I've bumped into you two fine men. You look like you've traveled far..." she scanned them up and down. "You certainly aren't from around here." As soon as she had looked past both their middles, she caught a glimpse of the gun holsters, very much filled with weaponry. Quickly, she averted her eyes, bringing them back to look the men in the face.   
  
One of the men cocked an eyebrow, his expression curious. He coughed casually and wet his dry lips with his tongue.  
"Oh no ma'm, you're 100% right. We aren't from around here. In fact, we've traveled quite far and were going to seek refuge in this quiet town before continuing on with our journey. This church looked like a good place to start."  
  
"Well, I'm afraid all I can offer you is one room. We're holding so many children, we really don't have any room for travelers." The nun hesitated. "B-but, we do try and keep at least one room free, just in case. There's only one bed, and the room really doesn't keep in much heat..." How much longer could she keep this chatter up? Once she confirmed that there WAS enough room, she'd have to let them in... What were they trying to pull anyway? They weren't here for shelter! They were here to destroy them. All of them. The church, the town...all of the people.. Why were they playing with her?   
  
The dark haired soldier nudged the other's side, as if to tell him to cut the idle talk.   
  
Sister Helen's eyes went wide with horror as he finally silenced, stepped up, and grabbed her arm harshly. He leaned down and whispered hotly in her ear, making her cringe in disgust. "Don't worry ma'am. There'll be more room very soon..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hilde! Duo!"  
  
The little boy called to the two children in front of him, fear quite evident in his thickly British accented voice. "C'mon! It's time! We've gotta get out of here..."  
  
Duo whirled around from trying to grasp at Hilde's last ribbon, and faced the frantic child. "Bobby? What?!"  
  
"You heard me, Duo! The soldiers are here! Sister Helen is out front trying to buy us some time. Hell, if we're gonna get out, NOW is the time!"  
  
Hilde looked confusedly at her attacker. "Duo, what is he talking about?"  
  
The braided little boy wasted no time, and to Hilde's disappointment, he wasted no breath either. He didn't say one word as he grasped her hand and dragged her to the back of the church.  
  
Her expression twisted from confusion to anger. Why in the world was Duo dragging her off? And where was everyone? It seemed that the whole church was empty. All the rooms they passed along the way were deserted.   
  
What was going on?  
  
Duo let Hilde's hand go when they came to the back door of the church. He turned to face her and placed his hands on her shoulders firmly. "Listen to me, Hilde. There's a truck out back waiting to take us to a better place. I don't have time to explain, just trust me and go get into the back of the truck."  
  
"I--" the now frightened little girl started.  
  
"No, Hilde. Go now!" he snapped.  
  
Surprised by his serious expression, Hilde stepped back and placed her hand on the knob of the door. "Okay...Duo.."   
  
Duo turned to go back to the front of the church, but felt a hand grab his and pull, preventing him from going any further.   
  
"Duo!" Hilde cried out suddenly, clasping his hand desperately. "What about you? Where are you going?!"  
  
The look on his face when she turned him around was almost too much to bear. How could he look at her with such mean eyes?   
  
"I'm going to help Sister Helen...Now let go of me and get out of here!!"  
  
Immediately she let go of his hand, regretting it in only a few seconds after as she watched him quickly run down the hall and disappear around the corner. What could he do? He was only a child! Those soldiers would kill him and Sister Helen... like they did her mother...  
  
Hot stinging tears ran down her cheeks as old memories became fresh in her mind.   
  
She couldn't let them die...   
  
Little footsteps clopped against the wooden floor as fast and hard as they could go. The sound filled her ears as she ran on, her heartbeat quickening and her breaths becoming shorter.   
  
No, she couldn't let them die...wouldn't let them die. Everyone she'd cared about had been killed, and now it was happening all over again. Dying wasn't an option for them as far as she was concerned. Not as long as she could do something...  
  
Something...  
  
But what?  
  
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Did you enjoy it? I sure hope so! But you have a question? Oh, about that thing at the beginning? Yeah, I was wondering too.. What in the world WAS that? Some kind of premonition? Hmm...maybe I should finish the fic and let you find out? :)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~~Oh my friends, my friends forgive me  
that I live and you are gone,  
there's a grief that can't be spoken  
there's a pain goes on and on  
phantom faces in the window  
phantom shadows on the floor  
empty chairs at empty tables  
now my friends will meet no more~~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Silence Welcome prt 4

Okay my wonderful followers, here's the end! Yep, that's right...I finally ended it, guys. It's kind of sad for me to let it go because I've had it out for so long. But all good things must come to an end!!  
  
Or do they? I say this because I may actually make a sequel...but I'll talk about that after you read the end of this story... Enjoy. And as always, I take no credit for creating these characters. *evil laugh* *cough*  
  
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"There's a grief that can't be spoken,  
There's a pain goes on and on,  
Empty chairs at empty tables,  
now my friends are dead and gone..."  
  
--'Empty chairs at empty tables' from the play Les Miserables  
  
  
Silence Welcome: prt. 4  
  
  
Wide and pondering eyes darted back and forth between a long, charred fire poker and the large wooden door of the room. What was Hilde to do?  
  
If she were to help, she must have something to help with. Being so much smaller, her own brute strength wouldn't cut it against an adult. Her eyes quickly darted back to the poker.. A weapon was a definite must... Even if she couldn't use it properly. Maybe the soldiers would think to stay away from her anyway.  
  
She stepped closer to the cold fireplace, still eyeing the poker. Before reaching for the poker, though, a glint of silver caught her eye. It was in the ashes... She leaned closer, straining to see the shiny object..  
  
It was an earring...  
  
/Her/ earring...  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
Small, cold feet padded into the room and shuffled their way over to the puny fireplace where the beautiful young lady sat. When the sound of footsteps became evident to the woman, she looked up expectantly from the thick book in her hands.   
  
"Hilde dear..." She closed the crimson colored book and lay it softly on the table next to her, "..did you have another bad dream?" The soothing voice seemed almost angelic to the sleepy little girl as she clumsily crawled into the woman's lap and turned to face her.   
  
"Yes, Sister Helen..." Innocent blue eyes, red from crying and still wet with tears, peered drowsily up at the young woman.   
  
To Hilde, the nun really did look an angel's part. Long blonde hair framing her face softly, her milky white skin almost glowing a heavenly hue in even this small amount of firelight. She wore her long, pure white nightgown, and a small wooden cross around her neck, adding the final touch to her flawless character.   
Pure... Hilde saw her as only that. Her Helen had never done anything that would make her think otherwise. The little girl's mind couldn't consider that anyone of her or Father Maxwell's stature could ever commit a sin. Even if that's what they had taught her. That everyone sins. It just couldn't be true... Not about them anyway. There must be an exception.  
  
Sister Helen smiled and placed a strand of Hilde's dark raven shaded hair behind her ear. She was such a pretty little girl. Her eyes filled with curiosity and wonder. If you didn't know better, you would guess that she had always lived a perfect life... That she hadn't witnessed death.. That she hadn't lived feeling alone and depressed...  
  
"Oh!" Hilde suddenly gasped, startling the nun. "Your ears!"  
  
Sister Helen's eyes went wide as the little girl pointed up at the tiny dangling silver orbs donning her earlobes. "Hm?" She brought her hand up to finger her the earrings. "Oh! These!" The nun's soft chuckle seemed to warm Hilde even more so than the fire behind her.   
  
"These," Sister Helen began as she took the earrings from her ears, "were given to me by my mother a very long time ago."  
  
"Oh.. Well, I think that they are very beautiful Sister Helen..." Hilde curiously inspected the earrings that lay in the woman's delicate palm, "but why don't you wear them all the time?"  
  
"Well, Hilde.. When a girl decides to give herself wholly to God, she doesn't care about earthly possessions any longer. Such as these earrings..." She looked down at the earrings in her hand with tears in her eyes as she went on. "I can't wear them out because.. it would show God and others that I cared more about what I have on Earth than what I will soon have in Heaven."  
  
"But... Sister Helen...What's the difference really? Can God not see you in this room?" the little girl questioned earnestly.  
  
Sister Helen laughed, letting tears gently fall from her eyes and spill down her cheeks. "Of course he can, Hilde. Of course he can..."  
  
Hilde was deeply confused as she watched Sister Helen cry and finger the earrings in her hand. As she gazed up at the nun once more through sleepy lids, she realized that she seemed almost as confused as Hilde herself. This time, she decided not to open her mouth.   
  
She gently lay against the nun's chest instead, wrapping small arms around her in a warm hug. Her Helen would be all right, and she'd be here with her forever to make sure.   
"I won't leave you..." Hilde promised silently as she clutched the soft nightgown, her eyes fluttering closed soon after.   
  
Sister Helen stroked the little girl's soft hair lovingly, letting out a soft sigh when she finally felt a grip loosen from her robes and little arms fall from her sides.   
  
"Oh, Hilde.." she began sadly.   
"You are still so naïve about these things..." the nun thought as she looked down at the innocent, sleeping little girl. "...And you know more about death than you know about life. You're only a child..."  
  
The nun, now obviously puzzled, looked down at the earrings in her hand as the diminishing firelight flickered across them. "How much do I even know about life?" Tears overflowed her eyes once again. "Sometimes I just don't know if I'm even fit to be in this church..."   
  
She rose slowly from her chair, careful not to wake the sleeping child in her arms as she carried her into the other room. After gently tucking Hilde into bed and smoothing back the shiny black hair from the little girl's face, she silently stepped into the next room.  
  
He's so peaceful as he sleeps, she thought as she leaned against the wooden door frame.   
Tonight, no nightmares stirred his closed eyes. No blood stained his hands and no death lingered in his thoughts. None of that had bothered him for the longest time. Almost as long as Hilde had been present.   
  
Sister Helen smiled to herself. They had been getting along so well lately. Hilde had definitely been a God-send for Duo. And he for Hilde also. The little girl still had a bad dream here and there, but they weren't as frequent as they had been so long ago. Having each other to lean on, even though they mostly only annoyed one another, had definitely healed some of their wounds.  
  
The nun wondered what they would do when they were grown. They couldn't live in this small town forever. Not unless they willingly chose the church as their home...gave themselves up to God.  
Sister Helen cringed. She loved God dearly, and no matter how many doubts she had, she would always know for sure that she had made the right choice by becoming a nun. But those children... Those two were unique in a way she couldn't describe.   
Duo, independent and headstrong, would never accept beliefs that were forced upon him. He would figure out his own way. If they were the church's way, so be it. If not...He'd be on his own. For some reason, this thought didn't bother Sister Helen.  
Hilde though...Sister Helen smiled as she pictured the little girl in her short, bouncy pigtails. Hilde was a spunky little girl, independent, but not unreasonably stubborn in her beliefs. Of course, she had probably been more sheltered than Duo, so she was naturally curious and ready to learn about another's thoughts and ideas. Still, she was only six. She didn't have any set beliefs yet, and there wasn't much she understood completely. Especially the Catholic religion and it's rules.  
Soon she would understand, though. She would grow and learn, and in the end, she might even decide to stay with her caretakers. For some reason, though, Sister Helen felt it would only be to watch over she and Father Maxwell, and she didn't want that. Hilde might regret it. Maybe not openly, but in her heart. If she wasn't staying for God, she would be doing herself wrong. She would definitely someday regret it.  
  
Sister Helen turned back to her room after softly shutting the door to Duo's. She decided that if they were to go, that would be best. Neither of them seemed the type to stay put for long. Her only hope was that they would keep God in their hearts after they left.  
  
After shutting the door to her room quietly, she slowly made her way to the table next to the fireplace.  
  
Those earrings...  
  
They glittered beautifully in the flickering light from the fire. So many emotions and memories were brought up for Sister Helen by just glancing at the silvery pieces of metal. Memories of a crying mother hugging her daughter, sobbing as she reluctantly let go forever.   
She remembered the way her mother gently shoved the earrings into her hand, silently gesturing for her daughter to never forget her family.   
  
With tears in her eyes and a smile on her soft rosy lips, Sister Helen gently scooped the two earrings into her hand and tossed them effortlessly into small fire. "I never needed material things to remember all of you, Mother." She whispered. "You always knew that..."   
  
"And now so do I..." She delicately wrapped her fingers around the wooden cross around her neck before kneeling next to her bed and gripping the crumpled sheets....  
  
And then she cried...  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
Hilde shivered as she wrapped her hands around the cold metal. It was so frigid. Almost as if it had never been used. But the black that now powdered her hands was enough proof that it had been.   
She grasped it tightly and left the room. The time she'd already wasted looking for a weapon had been too much. Sister Helen and Duo could be in real trouble by now...  
  
Huffing and panting down the hall, she ran. Ran as fast as her little feet would take her as she struggled to carry the fire poker in her hands. Before reaching the front doors of the church, she spotted something that almost made her laugh aloud.  
  
...Duo was spying around the corner, his back to her. He was alive!   
  
"Duo!" She whispered, still grasping the poker tightly between her fingers and running toward him excitedly.  
  
He spun around, his eyes going wide at the sight before him. "Hilde! I thought I told you to leave!"  
  
"I was going to, but I didn't wa-" The once determined look on Hilde's face was now replaced with a mix of worry and confusion as Duo interrupted her.  
  
"It doesn't matter now. You're here, and you're staying with me. Father Maxwell is probably gone by now, anyway." Duo turned quickly back to the corner, peeking around once more.  
  
"Duo, do you really think Father Maxwell would've left us?" Hilde's wide eyes almost matched the saucers in the church kitchen.  
  
"Sure, if he thought we were in the truck already." Duo continued quickly.  
  
"B-but!!" Hilde suddenly felt a feeling of horror wash over her. She could die... Father Maxwell had abandoned them, and he wasn't ever coming back. "Duo!" The soldiers would surely kill her, Sister Helen, and Duo. And there was nothing she could do about it. Her act of bravery would have been for nothing... But surely, Father Maxwell wouldn't leave Sister Helen! He would have to come back, right?   
  
A small sense of relief took over, calming Hilde down to a slower heartbeat. At least there was a chance...  
  
"Shh! Hilde! I'm trying to listen!" The boy grabbed the little girl standing before him, covering her mouth and leaning toward the corner once more.  
  
"To what?!" she muffled against his hand, dropping the poker out of her nervous grip.  
  
"To the soldiers. They're talking to Sister Helen." He gasped as the poker hit the ground. "Stop making so much noise. They'll hear us!"   
  
Hilde could feel her friend's frantic heartbeat against her back, his chest was rising and falling quickly. He was scared too. Scared for Sister Helen... and maybe even Hilde herself. She could've cried at the thought.  
  
"Hilde, I think they are going to come inside." Duo huffed. "I heard a man's voice say that he was here to get some answers... Something about traitors and a thing called... OZ.."   
  
Hilde stiffened in Duo's arms. Hadn't she heard that name before?   
  
"We need to find hiding places if we're going to save Sister Helen. I don't think they'll..." He paused a moment and swallowed hard before continuing. "..hurt her yet.." Duo's eyes fell upon the poker Hilde had dropped.   
  
He let go of the shaking girl and bent down to pick up the charred metal rod. "Good idea, Hilde. I'll handle this..."  
  
Hilde looked at Duo questioningly as he fingered the poker in his hands. "Duo.. where will we hide?"  
  
Before he could answer, the front doors of the church flung open, banging hard against the wall. The two children quickly drew back from around the corner and froze with fear.  
  
  
The two soldiers held Sister Helen from both sides, gently forcing her in and urging her on to take them to the father of the church.   
  
"I'm afraid he's doing some importa-" The nun started tersely.  
  
The darker haired soldier became irritated, his dark skin lightly glistened with sweat from irritation and strain. He quickly cut her off with his deep voice, heavily hinting his aggravation . "Listen, Miss. I've heard plenty of excuses before." He strengthened his grip on her arm as she struggled to loosen herself from fate. "In fact, I've probably heard them all. I don't have time for yours, so let's cut all of this unneeded conversation out and start giving each other answers instead."   
  
It was finally happening, she thought as he pushed her on. She was going to die. They'd probably shoot her point-blank if she disagreed to tell them anything. At least, she began in her mind, the children were safe. All of them were long gone by now. The soldiers would never catch up to them now.   
  
Sister Helen sighed with half relief.  
  
That's when the three adults rounded the corner...  
  
..and that's when she spotted the two young children against the wall. One was protectively holding a fire poker between his small fingers, trying in vain to make himself look menacing, while the other hid uneasily behind him, her raven black hair now half down and tousled.   
  
"Children!?" She gasped in horror. They were supposed to be gone by now. Lord, they were supposed to be gone by now!   
  
It took her only a moment to come to her senses..   
  
"Run!" She continued loudly.  
  
The two soldiers stood silent as the two children peered up at them.   
  
"Duo, run! Don't be selfish and stay for me! Protect Hilde...Go now!" She finished quickly, hoping desperately that her children would listen and obey.  
  
Thankfully, Duo wasted no time in throwing the poker away and grabbing his friend to run. They were halfway down the hall before the soldiers could even decide what to do with the situation.  
  
"You go get the kids. They might alert someone if they get away..." One of them began. "I can handle Saint Nun, here..." His blonde hair obscured his eyes as he looked down at the trembling young woman. "She'll be no problem.." He licked his dry lips as he pulled her closer.  
  
The dark haired soldier looked back after starting off for the children. He stopped and turned, ardently informing his comrade to be a little less ignorant. "Idiot. You know what we're here for. Shut your damned mouth and don't touch her anytime except when you're leading her to the room and tying her up. Now go look for the priest and tie them both up when you find him." After he finished his quick reprimand, he quickly disappeared around another corner and bolted off for the children.  
  
"Okay, Miss. It seems I'm to go tie you and the priest up" The blonde soldier spoke hazily. "Now tell me where he is, and I'll make sure only *one* of my hands goes up those robes of yours..."  
  
If she could've, she would've slapped his face raw right there...  
  
Unfortunately, her hands were being held behind her...  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
He saw the children right in front of him as he ran down the hall. They were energetic little ones, he thought. It might take more than he'd realized to catch up to them. Especially since they knew the church much better than he.  
  
Not much time had been spent chasing them when suddenly the young girl in front of him tripped. She cried out when she hit the ground, her arms and legs sprawling out across the wooden floorboards.   
  
"Now, little one, I'm not going to hurt you..." He knelt to the floor, quickly but gently scooping the child into his arms. "I just need you to stay with me for now..."  
  
It wasn't long before Duo had turned around and started assaulting the soldier's legs with his fists. "Bastard! Let her go!" He yelled.   
  
Over and over he pounded at the man, trying his best to stomp his feet through those thick black boots.  
There was nothing he could see but the target in front of him, and boy was he killing it.  
  
It was like a pure rush. Feelings of rage and power overflowed his senses. It was like his dreams, but this time, he would win. This time, he would save his friend... He wouldn't see blood and there would be no end of death for anyone but these soldiers.   
  
HE would triumph...   
  
Like the monster in his closet had always won in his dreams... It had always been able to take away his loved ones...  
  
'Death', Duo remembered. That's what the apparition had called itself.  
  
He would cheat it... Become stronger than it...  
  
*He* would be the God of Death...  
  
'Shinigami'..  
  
"I said let her go, damn you!" he yelled once more, a newfound strength building within him as he unknowingly named his future self.  
  
Hilde finally shook herself from the daze she was in. That trip had knocked the wind from her...even disoriented her for a few moments.. When she realized she was no longer against the hard floor, she kicked her legs violently and shrieked at the top of her lungs.   
  
"Ow! Little buggers... Stop that now!" Of course, the soldier was hardly phased at all by the small punches to his legs. The kicks in the face, though, were definitely not welcomed. And neither were the loud shrieks piercing his ears.   
  
"Come now! I just want to take you back with me and keep you there for a while. You'll be safe, I promise." He tried to avoid the next few kicks the girl delivered. "Damn it, we won't hurt you!"  
  
The little girl in his arms surprised him with her next words.   
  
"You're lying! Lying!" She yelled throatily. "You killed my mom! MY mom..." Sobbing, she carried on her tantrum as the soldier looked sadly down into her angry, wet blue eyes. "You killed my mother...for no reason at all!"   
  
Her cries of anguish were almost enough to wet the soldier's cheeks, but he quickly blinked his tears away.   
  
The man stood stunned as the little girl regained her strength for one more moment, pounding on his chest and repeating OZ's foul crime over once again. "You killed her! YOU killed her!!"  
  
"I didn't kill her." He tried to speak gently, still trying to shake the annoying boy from his legs. The blows being delivered were actually beginning to hurt. "It wasn't me! I wouldn't kill someone like that.." he grunted in pain as Duo gave him another blow.  
  
"It's all the same!" Duo argued, still beating away.   
  
"YOU'RE all the same!" Hilde continued.  
  
"Listen!!" The soldier had finally had enough. The girl was too weak to get away, and the boy was tiring now. It was time to stop this nonsense. He quickly stooped down and grabbed the boy by his collar, bringing him face to face.   
  
"Listen to me and I *won't* hurt your friend back there! Otherwise, I can tell my partner right now to shoot her straight in the head."  
  
Hilde quieted down and Duo became silent as he squirmed uneasily in the soldier's grip.   
  
He knew that would shut them up.  
  
"Good." The man praised softly. "Now... I tell you that I'm not here to hurt anyone, and I mean it. All I'm doing here is getting some information from your priest. Afterwards, we'll leave, and everything will be back to normal, I promise. No one will be hurt."   
  
Duo scowled angrily at the male before him. How was he supposed to believe him, even with that sincere look in his eyes? For crying out loud, he had just threatened that he had the power to kill Sister Helen with one call to his partner! What kind of harmlessness was that?  
Besides, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen had planned out an escape for all of the church and had even alerted the town of the oncoming danger(even though most hadn't believed the story and were still present in the town houses). If these soldiers were harmless, why would there have been any need for an escape? He trusted Father Maxwell and Sister Helen much more than he'd ever trust these men. They wouldn't have said there was danger coming unless there really was.   
  
Duo reluctantly decided he would at least pretend to listen to the soldier. Even though Sister Helen had told them to run, he was not going to let her die when he thought there was a chance to save her life. There was no way he would just give up that easily.  
  
"I still don't believe you, but I'll come with you anyway." Duo mumbled.  
  
"You promise not to run away or give me anymore hassle, right?" The soldier asked in a cautious tone.  
  
The braided boy nodded when he felt the soldier's grip on his collar loosen. "Yes.." he lied.  
  
"Good then..." He looked down at the little girl, still held around the middle by his left arm. "And you too?"  
  
Hilde nodded after glancing at Duo confusedly for a minute. What was he doing?  
Whatever it was, he was telling her silently to go along with it... so she decided to reinforce her answer by speaking aloud. "Yes.." she croaked. "I promise.."  
  
"Then let's get back there.." The soldier positioned Hilde comfortably in his arms once more and trusted that the little boy behind him would follow. He knew the child was too worried about his female keeper and the girl he held in his arms to go running off now.  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
The nun stayed silent as the soldier bound her tightly to the chair.  
  
"I want to know where the priest is, Miss, and you're going to tell me. Either that or we kill you and find him ourselves." He rounded the chair one last time with the rope before tying it off. "I know he didn't just run off and leave his church. Not unless he's a total coward."  
  
Sister Helen's face stayed blank. She wasn't about to give this soldier the satisfaction of her anger. Anyway, she knew what the soldier spewed about the priest wasn't true. It wasn't true at all...  
  
Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered what Father Maxwell had said to her earlier that day..  
  
** "No matter what happens, Sister Helen, I'm coming back and staying with this church. I'm not needed anywhere else, but here. I belong no where else. I will take our children to the people who are evacuating today, and they will take care of them. Then I will come back and stand my ground. Even if it kills me...**   
  
She wanted to cry. The passionate look in his eyes when he spoke to her had been so beautiful and sincere.   
  
He would be back soon... Surely, he'd already had plenty of time to take the children to the evacuation point and be back...  
  
"Lieutenant Jacobs?!" A loud feminine voice abruptly interrupted the nun's thoughts.   
  
The soldier in front of Sister Helen's chair snapped his head over to the opening door. "Colonel Smith?" he answered.  
  
A tall woman with long shiny blonde hair and deep red lips entered. "Hai.." she replied casually.  
  
She was beautiful, Sister Helen noticed as the woman came in further. She looked absolutely nothing like a soldier. Her skin bronzed from the sun, her eyes contrasting it with the lightest of blues, and her hair let down and flowing. The soldier's suit she wore hugged her curves perfectly as if it were destined just for her. If not for the elegant gun holster on her hip and the decorative pins on her chest, you would've never guessed that she was someone so high in rank. Even with the evidence, she looked as harmless as a lamb and as pretty as a picture. Clearly, though, the man who now held her captive had called the attractive woman, Colonel....   
  
"I thought I heard voices in here..." she spoke silkily.   
  
Jacobs smiled and licked his lips once more out of habit. "I wasn't sure when you were going to arrive, Colonel Smith."  
  
"Well, the squad and I encountered a few problems on the way." She smoothed a strand of her hair back with a slender hand. "In fact, one of them was right outside the church."  
  
"Ma'm? What problem might that have been?" He smirked as he walked over to the entrance to the room.  
  
"Well," she disappeared into the hall and came back in holding a young child's hand. "I found a whole bunch of children trying to escape on a truck..."  
  
Sister Helen couldn't help but cry out. "God, please no! Let them be!"   
  
The Colonel still holding the child's hand winced as a loud smack reverberated around the room.   
  
"No one asked you to speak!" Jacobs spat as the nun's cheek started to flush a bright red. He turned back to the other soldier and continued the conversation. "Was there a priest with the children?"  
  
"Yes. But he's of no use to us now." The woman glared hard at the Lieutenant, showing her disapproval of his actions. She worriedly glanced over at the nun in the chair and back at the soldier, speaking more softly as she went on. "Unfortunately, one of the soldiers decided to take matters into his own hands when it came to the priest's fate. The priest said something rather mild that just happened to quickly enrage the hot-headed idiot. So, the soldier shot him before we could stop him. No matter though. The priest would have been no use to us anyway."  
  
"But, we had suspicions about there being spies in this town. He could've been one of them, couldn't he Colonel?" The look of confusion on his face was shattered with disgust as he heard the nun speak out again.  
  
"Father Maxwell..." She cried softly, a small smile forming on her lips. He had defended peace till the very end... She thanked God.  
  
The male soldier turned quickly on his heels and stormed over to the nun. She was crying and smiling at the same time now?! What was wrong with her?!   
"Why in the hell are you smiling?" He yelled as he smacked her again, leaving a large red welt on her cheek. "Did you not just hear this woman? You're priest is dead!...probably for ranting about world-peace or some other bullshit fantasy you people have. See what that gives you? See what God has done for you? Killed your priest and left you for dead. That's what he's done. Some God..."   
  
The Colonel reached out to pull the Lieutenant back. "Damn it, Jacobs, you're going too far now." She said, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him gently out of the way. Turned to face him, she made sure that anger was evident in her voice and in her expression . "Let me remind you that I am your superior during this mission, not your equal. I should've warned you when you first stepped over the line by slapping that young woman the first time." With a huff, she continued. "You're no longer in charge of this mission, 1st Lieutenant Jacobs. The soldiers have arrived, and now I'm taking over. Go take these children and put them in a room close by. I'll take care of the Sister. There will be a few other soldiers to help you with the older children."  
  
Before the soldier had time to make his way out the door, the Colonel grabbed him once more. "And if you touch just /one/ of those children in an improper manner, Lieutenant... I'll make sure you get your 'improper' touches afterwards. Is that understood?"  
  
"Yes, Colonel." The Lieutenant tried his best not to look hurt, but it was obvious he was quite offended as he saluted and stormed out of the room. He'd thought he was in the presence of a friend. He had been wrong..  
  
"Miss.." The woman spoke gently as she turned to the nun, kneeling next to the chair and placing a hand on her soldier. "I'm sorry for the way you've been treated."  
  
Sister Helen stayed silent.   
  
"And I'm sorry that you had to hear of your priest's death so bluntly."  
  
The Colonel looked at the floor uneasily when the nun still said nothing. "I suppose I don't expect you to say anything. I wouldn't either if I were in your position." She finally stood and walked in full view of the nun, clasping her hands behind her as she made immediate eye contact. "You do understand that I can't stop my superiors from ordering me to destroy this place, don't you? They believe you are holding spies in this town.."  
  
The nun broke away from the soldier's eyes and gazed at the floor.   
  
"But I'm sure you're not worried about why we're here... In fact, I'm almost sure you're wondering only about what will happen to those children..." The soldier guessed sadly. "I'm sorry to say that most of them will probably die."  
  
Tears wet Sister Helen's cheeks further. She couldn't believe the soldier was actually telling her this. Couldn't she just leave it to her imagination? At least then she could pretend that most of them would get out unharmed...  
  
"There's no where else for them to go, really. They'd be war orphans if we let them live. They'd be better off dead." She paused as if to give the nun the chance to talk. When she didn't speak, the woman went on. "I would've let them go when I saw their truck fleeing, but unfortunately, I didn't get my position by letting the enemy escape."  
  
"But, those children are not your enemies..." Sister Helen finally muttered.  
  
"I had no choice. My men were with me, and most of them knew who was escaping." Colonel Smith snapped quickly. "It wasn't hard to figure out that the scene of a truck load of children being driven by an old man in black robes was a little 'odd'. I couldn't just let them escape." The woman seemed a little regretful at her previous actions as she continued on, her lips pursed and her cheeks flushed. "They could've jeopardized our mission and endangered my position as leader."  
  
Sister Helen finally looked up at the Colonel, deep anguish and sorrow overwhelming her stare. This woman was trying to justify her actions. She felt guilty... So here she stood, explaining herself to a nun to make herself feel better...to assure herself that what she was doing was right and just. Surely, she didn't expect the nun to nod and agree.   
  
"I will never understand the ways of war.." she replied tiredly.  
  
"No one ever will. Not even the ones who are fighting in one." It was silent for a few more moments before the Colonel finally decided she'd said her peace. "If you'll excuse me, Sister, I have a few other things to attend to."   
  
She turned to leave, signaling for another soldier to come in from the hall and stand guard, but before leaving completely, she turned and looked back at the nun.   
  
"Untie her," She ordered the soldier who'd just entered, "but make sure she doesn't leave this room."   
  
And with those last words, the Colonel quickly left the room to the nun and the silent standby guard.  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
"They're here...finally.." The soldier's low voice was filled with relief as he listened to the voices and large footsteps moving about the church.  
  
Curious of why the soldier sounded so relieved, Duo looked up at the man in front of him. "Who's here?"  
  
The dark haired soldier glanced back and answered. "The rest of the soldiers."  
  
"The rest?!" The little boy stopped dead in his tracks. "The rest?! And what are all of them here for?"  
  
Hilde uneasily stirred in the soldier's arms. She didn't like the tone in Duo's voice...  
  
"More harmlessness?" Duo continued angrily, clenching his fists in fury. "Of course they are, I'm sure! Why else would they be here?"  
  
"Lieutenant James..." A velvety yet still professional voice called out into the hall, interrupting the rest of Duo's rant. "I see you have some little rebels there."  
  
There she stood. Colonel Smith crossed her arms and smiled as she eyed the two children accompanying the soldier.   
  
"Colonel Smith." James answered quickly, unable to salute at the same time. The little girl squirming in his arms prevented him from accomplishing the action properly. "Yes ma'am, I found them earlier inside the church."  
  
"Well, I suggest you take them into the room with the rest of the children we found." The woman flipped her shining blonde hair back behind her shoulder as she advanced toward the three figures.  
  
"The rest, ma'am?" The male soldier stiffened as she came closer. He wondered what she was talking about. There had only been two children when he arrived. Where had the rest been hiding?  
  
The Colonel eyed the soldier when she stopped in front of him. "Yes, the rest, James. We found a truck full of them trying to escape, but we pursued and caught them."  
  
Duo choked on air when he heard the words slip from the woman's red lips. She had found the truck? Surely she had found Father Maxwell then. But she hadn't mentioned him... yet..  
  
"And the priest? Did you find him also?"  
  
Ah, exactly what Duo had wanted to hear. His ears perked up.  
  
Hilde, still clutching the soldier's uniform, tiredly looked over at the woman before she answered. The female soldier seemed nervous now, her cool blue eyes shimmering with doubt. What had happened? Hilde wondered. What had happened to Father Maxwell?  
  
"Yes, unfortunately...we did find him. He was driving the children." The blonde haired soldier sighed and licked her dry lips before continuing. Telling this in front of these children made her uneasy, and she really didn't know why. War was war... people die... "We had an accident on the way here. A soldier... decided to take matters into his own hands. The priest is no more, I'm afraid."  
  
The Lieutenant looked at the little girl in his arms as she fell limp. She was exhausted, he realized, and the news she'd just received probably hadn't helped her any. He looked back up worriedly. "But, Colonel, wasn't he the one we were going to question about- "  
  
Before the soldier could finish his question to his superior, Duo had burst past the both of them and down the halls. He could hear the woman yell something, but he couldn't tell what. He was pretty sure though that she had ordered someone to go after him.   
  
That was fine with him... He knew he wouldn't be caught before he had the chance to escape...before he had a chance to go for help.   
  
The little boy's eyes were dry and his lungs felt as though they were going to explode as he ran. He finally realized why he'd started running in the first place.   
  
Father Maxwell was dead... it seemed almost unbelievable. To Duo, he'd seemed to invincible.  
  
And now he felt helpless. Helpless enough to leave his friends and go find someone who could stop this...even though he knew he would most likely find no one...   
  
"I'll be back for you Hilde..," He vowed silently, "and you too Sister Helen... I promise.."   
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
It hadn't taken him long to run out of the church. He'd taken the shortest way out, and thankfully none of the soldiers along the way seemed to be able to hit a moving target very well that day. Nor were any of them fast enough to chase him after he was out of the church. Duo would've thanked God if he'd thought he existed.  
  
Running through the town market, he squinted as the rays from the sun shone in his eyes and dust kicked up into his face. When he finally reached the compact houses, he scanned each of them carefully, seeing in each window that each was the same.. Empty.   
  
Some of the people hadn't believed there was a troop coming... It seemed, though, that more than only *some* believed that they really would be here and had evacuated quickly.   
  
Now frantic, the little boy was banging on doors and hollering at the top of his lungs for someone to help. There must be someone left over. Someone who would hopefully believe him...and help him.  
  
After banging on door after door for what seemed to be forever, he came to one that opened cautiously, slowly revealing a large gruff man holding a small girl in his arms.   
  
"Please, sir," Duo pleaded almost happily, relieved that someone was home, "you must help me."  
  
"Oh?" The man curiously looked down at the boy before him and smiled. "With what problem, may I ask?"  
  
"There are soldiers..," Duo gasped between words, "at the church. They're holding everyone hostage, and I'm sure that they are here to destroy us all."  
  
The little girl in her father's arms whimpered and buried her face into his shoulder. "Daddy..."  
  
Annoyed that this little boy had disturbed his daughter, he was quite quick to holler. "Listen young man, I know they are here, but we were promised nothing would happen to the town if we let them take the church without a fuss."  
  
Duo was almost thrown back in shock.   
  
So that's why some of the people had stayed in the town. Some actually had made an agreement with the soldiers beforehand. He couldn't believe it. How could people be so cruel as to offer the church as a sacrifice?!  
  
"How could you do such a thing? There are children just like her in there!" Duo spurt bitterly as he pointed to the now crying little girl in the man's arms. "You've just sentenced them all to death.."  
  
"Leave us, brat! You obviously don't understand that I care much more about my family than about you and your church." The surly father slammed the door in the orphan's face, leaving him to the silence of the streets.  
  
Duo's heart sank as he stepped back away from the door. He felt so utterly powerless to do anything now. The rest of the people here would be thinking the same thing. There was no one left in this town to help him. Everyone who had any wits about them had already left the danger.   
  
"What...am I supposed to do now?" Duo whispered to the wind.  
  
Finally feeling the full effect of emptiness, the little boy fell to his knees and grasped the ground between his fingers, yelling at the top of his lungs.   
  
"What am I supposed to do now?!"   
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
The gleaming metal of the mobile suits was blinding as the sun beat down on the huge forms. Seven of them standing in a circle around the church easily dwarfed the religious building.   
  
Trucks and jeeps drove past the suits, holding loads of soldiers, all of them set on their destination...the next town.  
  
As soon as the dust unsettled by the vehicles had fallen back to the ground, all mobile suits aimed at the church, the loud and quick clicking and clanking of metal signaling the readiness of their firearms.   
  
"Fire until it's gone, men." Came the order from one of the larger suits. "It's time to begin this war. Let's show these people who the future victor will be!" The female voice was filled with excitement as she pushed her soldiers on.  
  
All suits shone with luster as their Colonel instilled pride into the soldiers that drove them. Not one man hesitated after the order was given. Every suit was ready.  
  
Bullets began flying, and sabers cut through brick easily. The loud crashing of brick against brick and wood along with the loud booming steps of the suits drowned out the sound of adolescent screams.   
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
Duo's tear streaked face rose to meet the dust rising across the town. Thunderous vibrations shook the ground and air as the tired little boy still knelt against the ground.   
  
"What's...going on?" Duo quickly rose to his feet, his lack of strength almost causing him to stumble. As soon as he regained his direction, he stood upright and started walking back toward the market. His feet only moved faster when he realized what must be happening.  
  
"No.." Duo huffed as he ran around the corner of another small building. "I had plenty of time... I HAVE plenty of time!"   
  
When he finally reached the outside of the town, he almost collapsed in exhaustion. Instead, he quickly leaned up against a nearby wall and refused to look up at the church until he'd caught his breath.   
  
The church would still be there, he pleaded with his heart. It would be standing beautiful and tall as it always had, and it would have Sister Helen, Hilde, and his friends still inside of it. It would still be there...   
  
"I have.. plenty of time.." He took in a last deep breath before looking up at the rubble...  
  
And yelled hoarsely in defeat as he watched the last artillery truck fade out of sight..  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
"Oh please... Lord..."  
  
"..Help us." Weak and out of breath, she collapsed onto a hard and jagged piece of concrete. Gasping for air didn't help. Every time you breathed, you sucked in nothing but dust and smoke.. It was too much.. just too much.   
Dirt, blood, and sweat mingled on her face, her hands were severely raw from digging long and hard through what seemed to be endless rubble.   
  
Helplessly, she lay there, knowing there were still many children to be pulled from their deaths...  
  
And she could hear them crying ...   
  
The children of the Maxwell church...  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
Duo felt her near as he ran closer to the horrid debris. "It.. It can't be.." He looked around in disbelief after jumping over a crumbled wall. Everything was in ruins. Not one room stood...nor one pew...  
  
He spotted a flowing piece of robe caught on a wooden beam and immediately dove for the area. It was Sister Helen...  
  
"Du-Duo.." The sister choked out as he came into view. "I'm so glad... I wasn't sure.. if you'd escaped."  
  
"Sister..." Duo spoke softly as he reached out to his friend who was lying against the hard ground.   
  
"Duo... I think... I think they took Hilde..." Sister Helen's tears streaked the dirt and blood that stained her pale cheeks. "And Father Maxwell," she tried her best to smile through her tears, "is gone.."  
  
"I know he's gone.." the little boy answered, his voice cracking under strain to keep from crying. Not only was Father Maxwell gone, now so was his friend Hilde...   
  
"He was a wonderful example...Duo. He was preaching peace.. until the very end." She gasped as a sharp pain shot through her body. "A wonderful...example.."  
  
Duo was suddenly angered. How could what she said be true? How could dying for peace be worth anything when it changed absolutely nothing?   
"Wonderful?!" He questioned. "He was just stupid, wasn't he?!... He.." The little orphan's eyes filled with tears. "H-he did nothing by getting himself shot and killed.. What good did he do?!"  
  
"Oh, Duo..." The nun raised a blood stained hand to caress the boy's cheek. So many things were going through her mind as she felt his warm tears fall onto her fingers, and there were so many of those things she wanted to tell her child.. to make him understand.. But there was no time.  
  
This was not how she had wanted it to end at all, but now there was no choice.   
  
Duo choked back a sob as he felt Sister Helen warmly touch his cheek. "Duo.. May God.. bless you..." she strained through painful gasps.  
  
Her hand slowly fell back to her chest, leaving the boy's cheek cold and unprotected against the harsh wind. "And.. keep... you.."  
  
A chilly wind blew by, seeming to lovingly caress the nun's face with her own golden hair as she went limp against the ground. Small violet eyes went blank as the young woman's tears ceased and the rise and fall of her chest was no more.  
  
She was dead...  
  
Father Maxwell was dead..  
  
Hilde was gone...  
  
And there were no more cries coming from beneath the piles of wood and brick..   
  
The only thing that could be heard next was a little child's piercing scream of agony through the thick silence of the town.  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
"What is your name, child?" The Lieutenant looked over at the young girl sitting in the seat next to him. Her raven hair was blowing wildly in the wind that came through the truck's window.   
  
"Hilde," she replied emptily, "Hilde Schibeiker."   
  
The soldier glanced over at the girl as she peered back at him. What he saw made him shiver.  
  
Her eyes... They were so empty and lifeless. The exact opposite of what they had been only a few hours ago when he'd held her in his arms. Then they'd been filled with so much emotion...  
  
Now they were just dull orbs of blue.   
  
And her face had been full of so much elation when he'd first seen her.. She was running and playing with her friend outside, her cheeks rosy pink and her smile as big as ever.  
  
That was before he'd come in and run them down so terribly.  
  
Now her face showed no emotion. It was completely blank, and her cheeks.. were as white and pale as snow.  
  
What did he expect?   
  
"Hilde, you'll be safe with us now. You're lucky Colonel Smith felt you should come with us. I would've hated it if we'd left you there." He knew he was trying in vain to comfort the child, but still, he glanced over once more to receive her response.   
  
She sat swaying gently to the movements of the truck, still saying nothing.  
  
. "You know...," the soldier paused to clear his throat, "your friend escaped. I even saw him in my rear view mirror when we were driving away.. I'm sure he'll be fine.."  
  
Hilde sighed. She knew that already. In fact, she'd even seen him for herself in the mirror... and she really had been happy to find that he was safe. But she was still going in the opposite direction for her dear friend. So there was no reason for her at all to jump for joy.  
  
Surprised that she didn't respond to his information, the Lieutenant decided to press further. He must be able to get some kind of response from her even if it ended up being negative.   
  
"We're fighting for peace you know." He said matter-of-factly. "Death is necessary to achieve the peaceful silence we are all hoping for."  
  
Hilde felt unbelievably light-headed all of a sudden. Had he just said death was necessary for peace? For a peaceful silence that 'we' are all hoping for?   
  
To the soldier's amazement, the little girl beside him reached over and placed her small hand over his large callused fingers and squeezed gently.  
  
"You killed my crying mother and friends...and then there was quiet. Am I supposed to be happy just because you are?" She continued to go on, emotion still held back from any part of her body except her tightening fingers. "You will try to kill many people in this next town also... Do you think they will welcome the quiet?"  
  
"I...I.." He stuttered, taken aback at her comments. Defensiveness what all he had left to mask his utter confusion. "Y-you're only a little girl. What do you know?"   
  
"I know death..." she spoke softly, still gazing at the soldier who had now stopped the truck. "I know silence.."  
  
"and to me," she finished calmly, "it's not welcome.."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh my friends, my friends forgive me,  
that I live and you are gone,  
there's a grief that can't be spoken,  
there's a pain goes on and on  
phantom faces in the window  
phantom shadows on the floor,  
empty chairs at empty tables,  
now my friends will meet no more,  
oh my friends my friends don't ask me,  
what your sacrifice was for,  
empty chairs at empty tables,  
now my friends will sing no more..."  
  
--'Empty chairs at Empty Tables' from Les Miserables  
  
********************  
  
*sigh* Did you like it? I know I didn't! ^_~  
Hehe, just kidding! I liked it just fine I guess. Of course, the author has more nit picky things about his/her own story than others do...most of the time. And it's supposed to be that way, so nothing is out of place here!  
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the end. I really tried to keep Hilde and Duo *young*. At some points in the story, I do believe they were a bit too *grown up*...but you'd be surprised what little ones know. Just to let you know I *did* do some research... I actually talked to some young children I baby-sit and also some that I speak with on the bus I ride to school every morning. Yep, you'd be surprised what some little ones know and will say. ^^;;  
I also did some GW research. Turns out I found a translated version of the Episode Zero GW comic. Most of you GW fans should know what that is. Along with other things, it holds the story of Duo and his old days at Maxwell church. Anyway, I got a hold of a copy and yes... I used some of the wording. So I take absolutely *NO* credit for the idea of Ep. Zero or it's characters...or it's wording.   
Will I make a sequel when Duo and Hilde meet again? Maybe... someday...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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